Tonight, we have helped make history. New York will soon become the 6th State in the US to legalize same-sex marriages after the bill passed the State Senate during an extended session in Albany. With your hard work, we have again achieved real results. From campaigning to flip 2 no votes into yes votes in November until the recent push to call your State Senator and either confirm or convince them to get on the right side of history, this would not have happened without any of your dedication and diligence.

With this major victory, I’m confident that our trust in government can be restored and that New York is still truly the pinnacle of progress in our great nation. Marriage equality is a civil right that a super-majority of New Yorkers believe in and now we can lead the way towards marriage equality nationwide. The completion of this goal in New York does not mean that our work is done; there is still more to do in ensuring true equality.

We learned from our own setbacks how to bounce back and obtain the results that New Yorkers demanded. It’s imperative now that we return the favor and utilize what we have done to take the next step in making our whole country and society better.

I hope you’ll join me in saluting Governor Andrew Cuomo and the courageous legislators that cast ‘difficult political’ votes to get on the right side of history; but most importantly; thank you and congratulations on this achievement. You earned it.